Rich Pedroncelli / Associated Press
The NCAA tournament selection committee announced Saturday Gonzaga would be the No. 1 seed if the March Madness 2021 edition starts today.
Baylor, Michigan and Ohio State would join the invincible Bulldogs as the # 1 designed seed. Here’s a look at the full top 16, via Dave Matter’s St. Louis Post-Dispatch:
Gonzaga’s qualification is often questioned as the NCAA tournament approaches because of its lack of competition at the West Coast Conference compared to the challenge that top teams often face at power conferences, but there is no doubt that that the Zags (19-0) deserve the first place so far this season.
They won victories over Iowa (No. 3 at the time of the meeting), Kansas (No. 6), West Virginia (No. 11) and Virginia (No. 16) during the non-conference part of their schedule, which more than it compensates for the fact that the WCC does not present another qualified team this year.
The Bulldogs, who became a national power during coach Mark Few’s 22-year tenure, are now looking for their first championship. They made it to the Elite Eight four times and made it to the title game in 2017, before falling short against North Carolina.
At the end of January, few were quick to brush aside talk about a possible race unbeaten to the national championship:
“This is getting us a little bit, isn’t it? I mean, don’t get me wrong; we are good. We are talented. I love coaching this team and I think we are difficult to play against. But Baylor too; Villanova; Texas; Michigan too The Virginia team we won in December is not the Virginia team that Tony [Bennett] will put on the floor in March. Villanova probably had the best win of all – winning in Texas. But, hell, this is fun. I’m enjoying the trip. “
Baylor (17-0) is the only other undefeated team in the country, but the Bears have seen their last five games postponed because of the Big 12 COVID-19 guidelines.
They are scheduled to return on February 20 against Oklahoma State, and there is not much room for maneuver in the schedule with the conference tournament scheduled to begin on March 10.
This will put a lot of pressure on coach Scott Drew and his team to put the team back on top before the start of March Madness.
KenPom’s The rankings put Gonzaga and Baylor, Nos. 1 and 2, respectively, well ahead of the rest of the pack.
The difference in the adjusted efficiency margin between the Bears and No. 3 Michigan (6.69) is almost the same as the difference between the Wolverines and No. 17 Florida State (6.49).
However, although there are two clear favorites at this stage, there are no guarantees in the NCAA tournament.